Display hanger



March 8, 1960 B. H. LYNDE, JR

DISPLAY HANGER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 28, 1958 m N AH Q WM 51/205775 h. [was Jr.

INVENTOR. wfi

AUDI/V56.

' March 8, 1960 B. H. LYNDE, JR 2,927,701

DISPLAY HANGER Filed act. 2a. 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Emma-m H [mp5, Je.

INVENTOR. BY M! United smePmw DISPLAY HANGER Bnrdette H. Lynda, Jr., Monrovia, Califi, assignor to M & M Manufacturing Company, Inc., Los Angeles, Calif, a corporation of California Application October as, 1958, Serial No. 770,135

' 6 Claims. 01. 211-86) The invention relates to advertising devices and is particularly concerned with a display hanger for use on shelves containing merchandise, so constructed that display cards and other advertising devices may be hung outwardly with respect to the merchandise so as to be more readily visible down the aisles before the prospective customer comes immediately abreast of the particular merchandise which is being advertised.

A great deal of time and attention is regularly given to the display of merchandise. When merchandise is placed upon counters, racks, shelves, etc. for sale to the public certain items of information are always of interest to the prospective or even the unsuspecting cus- These items includes price andalso the identity of the manufacturer or seller, and a notation as to whether or not the item might be one of a special feature. The most common type of display consists of the employment of moldings of various widths fastened to the edges of shelves or above a shelf or rack in which the necessary advertising information may be clipped so that it is in plain view by persons standing in front of or near the merchandise. In large selling establishments such as super markets, for example, where great quantities of varied types of merchandise and grades of merchandise are on display, it is notalways easy to pick out the area where shopping needs to be done because of the confusion of variety and multiplicity of items. Some attempts have been made to label areas so that they are visible from a distance by placing cards and tags above or adjacent the merchandise so that they can be seen from a distance. Although the display in this fashion is advantageous from a sellingpoint of view, the fixtures and paraphernalia for securingthe advertising in place and for making it easy to change has been cumbersome and unsatisfactory r Moreover, when the equipment is not such as makes possible utilization of moldings already in place, the addition of complete new equipment for right angle display of advertising becomes cumbersome,- expensive and inconvenient to handle.

It is, therefore, among the. objects of the invention to provide a new and improved display fixture which may aptly be described as a right angle display fixture which makes use of certain already existing equipment,

forwardly and away from the stacks of merchandise and 'ice that the hanger is adapted to present display material so that it can be viewed from opposite sides, the equipment being adjustable so as to accommodate virtually all pre existing situations. I

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved display fixture for advertising and other types of display material which is versatile in character in that any one of a number of different styles and character of display items can be attached to one portion or another of the equipment in a manner such that it extends in a clearly visible location substantially at right angles to the pro-existing molding.

Still further among the objects of the invention is to provide a new and improved display hanger which makes use of pre-existing molding regardless of the attitude of installation, the equipment being extremely simple and consequently inexpensive, and at the same time particularly versatile and easy to use Where frequent changes of the display material is desirable.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter set forth, pointed out in the appended claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Figure l is a front perspective view of a typical merchandise display rack equipped with a number of examples of the new and improved display hanger described herein. a V

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the display hanger in one attitude of adjustment and wherein one typical use is being made of it.

which is so fashioned that the card or other display material can be adjusted into any desired position regardless of the angle at which a mounting bracket may be attached to the permanent display equipment.

Still another object of the invention is to provide ,a new and improved display hanger or fixture which makes use of pre-existing molding strips in such fashion Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 2. I i

Figures 4, 5 and 6 are front perspective views of alternative forms of brackets which form part of the equipment.

' Figure 7 is a front perspective view of the form of bracket of Figure 6, illustrated in use.

Figure 8 is a. side elevational view of the basic structure to which is added still another right angle display device. I

Figure 9 is a cross sectional view taken 9-9 of Figure 8. I

Figure 10 is a perspective view of one form of clip engaged with a fragment of molding of smaller breadth.

Figure 11 is a fragmentary perspective view of the hangers of Figure 8 mounted at a different angle.

vIn an embodiment of the invention chosen for the purpose of illustration-there. is shown a display stand 7 presenting cans, boxes and articles to be sold supported upon shelves%, 9 and 19. At the rear of the stand is a verticallwall 11, the upper edge of which is beveled slightly and forms the back of'the stand.

on the line On the front edge of each shelf and on the beveled edge of the wall it is a strip of molding 12 which may be.

the same in each instance or may vary depending upon the thickness of the shelf or the breadth of the structure upon which the molding is to be, mounted. What is important-is that the molding provide some structure such as beads 13 which enable the formation of slots 14 at opposite edges of a web 15, the slots being so formed that they face inwardly and tilt slightly to assist in providing an interlocking space. Although only a simple type of molding is illustrated, it will be appreciated that moldings vary in that they frequentlypresent pairs of inwardly facing opposite slots spaced variously one from another to accommodate inserts of a great variety of widths.

A bracket indicated generally by the reference charactor 16 is shown in detail in Figure 4 and shown in use in Figure 2. The bracket may be described as compris- Pa tented Mar. 8, 1960 ing a body '17 having upper and lower edges 18 and 19 respectively. In each of the edges is a deformation 20 which is substantially midway between opposite ends and the deformation changes the shape of the edges suiliciently so that they engage with a tight friction fit in the previously described slots 14 when in use. In this form of the invention, the body is provided with upper and lower holes 21 and 22 respectively between which is located a recess 23. Itwill be noted that the recess 23 is about the same width as the diameter of the holes and is spaced from the holes leaving short tabs 2% and 25 in which are slits 26 and 27. The bracket is usable with any one of the moldings 12, illustrated in Figure 1, except that by way of example the molding which is mounted upon the shelf 10 is employed in the illustration of Figure 2.

A hanger for an article such as a display card 28 consists of a link '29 and a support 3%. The link has one end reversely bent upon itself providing an outer part 31 lying parallel to and adjacent an inner part 32. In the chosen example, the link is constructed of wire and hence special means is provided for keeping the link from twisting when in use. As shown the outer part 31 extends downwardly through the holes 21 and 22 in the body of the bracketythereby to support the link in place. To keep the link from twisting, the inner part 32 of the link is received within the recess 23 and as a consequence once mounted the link cannot rotate.

The support 30, previously mentioned, is also of wire stock and consists of legs 33 and 34 parallel to and spaced from each other, these legs being held in position by a curved connecting portion 35 at the lower ends. At the upper ends a transversely extending arm 36 is secured to the legs and holds them in the relationship desired. The arm 36 has a short bend 37 in a horizontal plane, a midportion 38, a short bend 39 also in a horizontal plane, and a downwardly bent tip 49. By providing suitable holes in the card 28 the card can be slipped over the tip 40 and the arm 36 to the position illustrated in Figure 2. It will be appreciated, of course, that two cards 28 may be placed upon the arm back to back so as to be visible from both sides. When the cards are to be changed they can be easily removed from the arm.

To fasten the support 3 3 to the link 29, there is provided a thumb screw 44 and wing nut 45. A slide 46 through which the shank of the thumb screw 44 passes is provided with grooves 47 and 48 for reception respectively of the legs 33 and 34-. On the thumb screw is a washer 49 which may, if desired, be a lockwasher so positioned that it retains the legs 33 and 34 between itself and the slide 46. A second washer 56 is spaced from the washer 49 and these washers are adapted to confine between them an extension of the part 32 of the link and a reversely bent cud 5'1 thereof. By use of the wing nut 45, the joint just described can be tightened in a selected position or loosened so that the position can be changed to tilt the support in different attitudes relative to the link 29. It will be clear, therefore, that whether the molding 12 is perfecly vertical as it wouldbe on the end edges of shelves 3 and 9, or tilted with respect to the vertical, as on the edge of shelf 10 or the top edge of rear wall 11 the support can be extended horizontally or at any other angle as desired by the user. 7

On those occasions where there may need to be no use made of the bracket 16, other than to support a display hanger of the type described in connection with Figure 2, a bracket like the bracket 54 may be employed. In this bracket upper and lower edges 55 and 56, respectively, may be made perfectly straight without deformation being present. Here, also, although holes 57 and 58 and a recess 59 are provided no slits are made use of in connecting portions 59 and 60.

In still another form of the device of the bracket illustrated in Figure 6 where some related use is to be made of a bracket 61 holes 62 and 63 adjacent edges 64 and 65, respectively, may be interconnected with each other by use of a slit 66. Here again the edges 64- and 65 are preferably provided with deformations 67 and 68, respectively, for the purpose already described in connection with deformations 20.

The bracket of Figure 6 is one which is adapted to receive one or a pair of cards 69 which can be inserted into the slot 66. When the portions-of the bracket on opposite sides of the slot 66 are spread to open the slot wide enough for reception of cards'69 portions of the edges 64 and 65 opposite the respective deformations 67 and 68 are shifted so to engage the respective slots 14 with a tighter connection.

Where still further display material is to be made use of mounted upon the strip mold in connection with the hanger assembly, there may be provided a staff 76 at the low r end of which is a clip 71 specially formed as illustrated in Figure 9 so that opposite edges 72 and 73, respectively, fold over legs 34 and 33, gripping them firmly witha resilient friction grip. The staff 70 is firmly secured to the clip '71 by appropriate means such as soldering or brazing at B in such fashion that the clip and staff are integrally connected. The staff is located substantially midway between the legs 33 and 34, and extends upwardly above the arm 36 to a location depending upon theplace at which the clip is located upon the legs.

At the uppermost end of the staff 70 is a cross piece 74 which extends on one side only of the staff '70, namely the same side as arm 36. At its outer end the cross piece 74 is provided with a corkscrewlike bend 7:: so thatit is adapted to securely receive thereon an object such as a carton 76. This is accomplished by merely punching a hole in one wall, top or bottom of the carton, and threading the carton onto the corkscrew-like bend of the cross piece. Regardless of the weight of the carton, the clip '71 will remain in fixed position upon the legs inasmuch as the frictional retention is appreciably increased when the weight of the carton is applied to the outer end of the cross piece 74. On the other hand the cross piece can be raised up and down by hand by forcibly sliding the clip '71 from one position to another upon the legs 33, 34.

Regardless of thc'angle which may have to be assumed by the arm 36, the staff 70 and cross piece 74 can be made to take the same angle so that whatever is suspended from the cross piece will be in alignment with what may be suspended from the arm 36.

Where it is anticipated that a considerable variety of display cards may be encountered, the arm 36 may be provided with spring actuated clips and 81. The arm 36 extends through the hangers at the pivot point and springs 32 act to hold the hangers shut. Points 83 provided to puncture a display card (not shown) thereby to provide a firm grip. The arm is shown bent to form an eye 8 3 to whichmay be suspended a display package 85 by use of a suspending hanger 86.

On those occasions Where it may be advantageous to face the display card in a different direction, an arm 36 is provided having an angular bend 87 at a right angle, or some other angle, so that the clips 30 and 81 face in a different direction.

Sn occasions where a molding 12 may have a web 15' of lesser breadth as shown in Figure 11, the bracket i6 may be bent to an arc of smaller radius without other change and the edges 64, 65 slid as usual into the slots id at the edges.

It will be appreciated that where a device as versatile as that herein described is made of material such as wire, the assembled device is particularly inexpensive as well as being exceptionally flexible and adapted to the display of a number of different types of display cards and display material. Moreover the parts which constitute the complete display hanger assembly are of such nature that as in the case of the bracket of Figure 4, particularly, a simple display card may be attached when desired and which can be removed for replacement by a display hanger in any chosen attitude to which there may further be applied an auxiliary support for still further types of display material, the parts being such that the material can be grouped close together so that all may contribute to a common advertising message. As illustrated in Figure 1 all features of the composite display hanger assembly may be employed simultaneously on one display of merchandise.

Although I have herein shown and described my invention in what I have conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of my invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent structures and devices.

Having described my invention, what 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A display assembly for attachment to display strip molding having opposite inwardly facing retention slots, said assembly including an arcuate outwardly convex bracket of sheet material, upper and lower edges of said material having a sliding retention in said slots, means forming openings for retention of display elements comprising holes at opposite ends of thebracket and a recess intermediate and spaced from said holes, opposite sides of said openings being adapted to contain display elements substantially at right angles to the molding, said display elements comprising a wire link having one end bent providing an outer part retainable in said holes and an inner part retainable in said recess, and a card holder comprising a column, said column comprising a pair of spaced parallel wire elements and a pivot connection between said column at a selected location between opposite ends and said link at a location removed from said reversely bent end whereby to fix the card holder in one of a. number of diiferent angular positions relative to said link.

2. A display hanger assembly for attachment to display strip molding, said hanger assembly including a bracket engageable with said moldingata selected location, said bracket having retaining meansat opposite ends, a hanger.

for display cards including a link adapted to engage said bracket and a display support adapted to carry display card means, said link having one end providing a part retained in said retaining means whereby to support said link in fixed position, said support comprising spaced legs connected together, and a transversely extending arm thereon adapted for releasable attachment of display cards, an adjustable pivot connection between said link and said support, said pivot including a slide overlying said legs, and means for tightening said link on said legs at a selected position of location and angular relationship.

3. A display hanger assembly for attachment to display strip molding, said hanger assembly including an arcuate bracket comprising upper and lower edges bent to positions adapted to anchor in said molding at a selected location, said bracket having holes at opposite ends and a recess intermediate said holes, a hanger for display cards including a link adapted to engage said bracket and a display support adapted to carry display tion slots, said hanger. assembly including an arcuate bracket of resilient sheet material, said bracket comprising upper and lower edges bent to angular positions relative to the main portion of the bracket andadapted to anchor in said slots at a selected'location, said bracket having holes at opposite ends, a recess intermediate said holes and .slots connecting said holes with said recess,

said upper and lower edges being deformed intermediate j,

ends thereof whereby to more firmly engage in saidslots, a hanger for display cards including a wire link'adapted to engage said bracket and a wire display support adapted to carry display card means, said link having one end reversely bent and providing an outer part retained in said holes and an inner part retained in said recess whereby to prevent said link from turning, said support comprising a pair of spaced legs connected together at said legs at a selected position of location and angular relationship intermediate ends of the legs.

5. A display hanger assembly for attachment to display strip molding, said hanger assembly including a bracket having means for releasable securement to said molding, a hanger for display material comprising a link connected to said bracket and a wiredisplay'support,

' said support comprising a pair of spaced legs connected card means, said link having one end reversely bent and providing an outer part retained in said holes and an column at a selected position of location and angular relationship intermediate ends of the column.

4. A display hanger assembly for attachment to display strip molding having opposite inwardly facing ret'en together and a transversely extending arm on the legs adapted for attachment of display cards thereon, and an adjustable pivotal connection between said link and said legs whereby to secure said support on the link at a selected location and angular relationship, and an auxiliary display material support comprising a clip frictionally engaging said legs, a stafi on said clip extending upwardly beyond said legs, a cross piece extending transversely at one side of said staffland means at a free end of the cross piece adapted to engage and suspend a display article therefrom at a selected location relative to said arm.

6. A display hanger assembly for attachment to dis play strip molding having retention slots, said hanger assembly including a bracket having means for releasable securement to said molding at a selected location, a

hanger for display material including a wire' link con-q nected to said bracket and a wire display support thereon, said support comprising a pair of spaced legs connected together and a transversely extending arm on the legs adapted for releasable attachment of display cards thereon, and an adjustable pivotal connection between said link and said legs whereby to secure said support on the link at a selected location and angular relationship, and an auxiliary display material support comprising ;a clip irictionally engaging said legs on one side of said pivotal connection, a staff on said clip' located between said legs andextending upwardly beyond said legs, a cross piece extending transversely on one side of said staff, and a wide spiral coil on a free end of the cross piece adapted to engage and suspend a display article therefrom at a selected location relative to said arm.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,543,295 Parker June 23, 1925 1,687,138 Myers Oct. 9, 1928 1,734,032 Evans Nov. 5, 1929 2,130,945 Brownell Sept. 20, 1938 2,548,027 Kincaid Apr. 10, 1951 I Gutter-sen Nov. 11, 1958 

